interoperability

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interoperability The ability of systems to exchange and make use of information in a straightforward and useful way; this is enhanced by the use of standards in communication and data format. For example, a microcomputer conforming to the SCSI standard can be connected to any SCSI peripheral device – i.e. many different hard disks, printers, etc. In software, operating systems that run on different CPUs, and Microsoft Word's ability to read files created using Excel are both examples of interoperability.

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